Bluefish record 1,000th career victory

BRIDGEPORT — It was fitting that Danbury resident and former UConn standout Mike Tarsi was on the mound with the Bridgeport Bluefish looking to make history.

The Bluefish were one of the teams Tarsi followed growing up. He said he attended three or four games a year, notably to watch Bethel native and mentor Sean Fesh pitch. Memories were created.

Tarsi, summoned to make a spot start against the York Revolution, created another memory Wednesday. He worked five scoreless innings and Elliott Ayala went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Bluefish to a historical 2-1 win before 1,610 at Harbor Yard. They became the first team in the 15-year history of the Atlantic League to reach 1,000 regular-season wins.

"These guys along with the Yankees were the team that I really came and watched as a kid," Tarsi said. "I was here all the time. So it means a lot. Just to put on this uniform means a lot.

"To be part of this win is amazing."

The Bluefish are 1,000-859 (.538) overall. They are 617-424 (.593) at home, 383-435 (.468) on the road.

The Bluefish and the Somerset Patriots are all that remain among the six charter franchises from the league's inaugural season in 1998. Atlantic City, Lehigh Valley, Nashua and Newark have either folded or moved on to another independent league.

The Bluefish (25-34) had been outscored a combined 38-11 in dropping the last three games. But Tarsi (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one in five innings to provide the team with a boost.

Tarsi, who threw 70 pitches (42 strikes), retired the last seven hitters he faced and 12 of the last 14 overall in his first start since making a spot start for Class A Fort Myers in 2010.

"I was just trying to throw strikes," Tarsi said. "I was just hoping they were going to hit the ball early because I was just trying to get out of there and attack before they could get me, before I ran out of gas. I felt good."

Recently acquired submarine right-hander Chris Hayes allowed one unearned run over the next 3 1/3 innings. Rommie Lewis came on to record the final two outs to earn his first save.

Lewis induced Liu Rodriguez to hit into a game-ending double play.

Offensively, Edgardo Baez doubled and scored on an RBI single by Ayala in the second. And Brock Peterson tripled and scored on a two-out single by Ayala in the sixth.

The Revolution (31-28) scored an unearned run off of Hayes in the eighth. Travis Scott and Salvador Paniagua each had two hits.

"It's always great to accomplish a goal and to have success like that," Ayala said. "Obviously, I haven't been here in the past. But it feels good to be part of something like that."